Rating: 5/5
Review:
Brilliant
I think this is quite brilliant. It's an album giving a new take on traditional English folk songs by an eclectic mix of some of England's finest musicians in all sorts of genres. People have said that "traditionalists" and "purists" will dislike this. Well, I have spent a lot of time in smoky folk clubs listening to unaccompanied ballads, for years I was a member of a Morris Ring side, I still have my box set of A Song For Every Season LPs by The Copper Family and so on...and I love this.
It sounds as though it might be dreadful. Cold Haily Rainy Night with sitar and Indian percussion, for example? In fact it's brilliant - the original is sung very traditionally with fabulous (and very English) harmonies from The Young Coppers and the arrangement and production just make it shine and give it real impact. Benjamin Zephaniah's gently rapped update of Tam Lin is similarly great. Some songs have re-worked words to reflect modern social times rather than those of centuries ago, others just have more modern musical treatments. The production and introduction of more contemporary aspects of English music is perfectly judged throughout and there isn't a duff track on the album - as you'd expect with this excellent line-up.
I think the key is that these are genuinely excellent musicians who are very knowledgeable about the material and treat it respectfully but not over-reverentially. It is exactly in the folk tradition for people to hear songs and make them their own using the language and idioms of their heritage, and the good versions survive while the poor die because people aren't interested in singing them. I think these will survive for a long, long time. It's one of the best "folk" albums I've heard for ages (a friend only recently introduced me to it) and I recommend it very warmly indeed.
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